Mary Clare Flynn
February 9, 1924 ~ April 12, 2019
Mary Clare Flynn passed peacefully at her home in Falls Church, VA on April 12, 2019 surrounded by family and prayer.
Mary is survived by her children Stephanie (Gabe), Jack (Pam), Marie, Mike (Rita), Patty (Luther), Sue, Regina (Scott), Mary (Bob), Teresa (Mauro), and Sheila (Reiner), 25 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 52 years, John P. Flynn; parents, Hannah and Joseph Mangan; sisters Stephanie Hogan and Mercedes Mangan; brother Rev. Patrick Mangan; and grandson Timothy Flynn Sr.
Mary was born on February 9, 1924 in Cork, Ireland. With her family, she arrived in New York City at the age of two and was raised in Brooklyn and Queens. She moved to the DC area with her husband John in 1947 where they raised their ten children and called home for the remainder of her life. Mary was incredibly proud of her Irish heritage and New York roots.
Her Catholic faith, especially in the Blessed Mother, was of utmost importance to her. Mary was a member of the Our Lady of Good Counsel parish since it was founded in 1957. She loved to serve the parish, particularly as a member of the Altar and Rosary Society.
Mary loved gardening, water aerobics, and all things Irish. If Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” was playing, she was on the dance floor. She was the ultimate Scrabble champion and enjoyed challenging loved ones near and far to competitive games of Words with Friends. No one made a better Irish Soda Bread. She loved keeping up with the adventures of her family and friends over Facebook and at 95-years-old could navigate an iPad with the best of them.
Her house was home to countless family gatherings, backyard kickball games, and big Sunday dinners. Many stories were shared at her kitchen table over her famous tuna sandwiches and cups of tea. She loved reminiscing about her life with her beloved husband John and telling her grandkids the story of their courtship. Of all the inventions she saw in her lifetime, she said owning a dryer beat the television, internet, and cell phone as the biggest game changer after raising ten kids in cloth diapers.
Everyone who stepped through her door was treated like family. In fact, she was so good at making everyone feel loved that each of her grandkids will tell you with conviction that they were Nanny’s favorite. She lived for family events and milestones, celebrating countless birthdays, baptisms, graduations, weddings, and births.
Mary dedicated her life to her faith and family. Her kindness, warmth, and patience were unmatched. Her family and friends will miss her unmistakable, infectious laugh. She leaves behind an incredible legacy and will be missed beyond measure.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in her name to:
Little Sisters of the Poor, Jeanne Jugan Residence, 4200 Harewood Road, NE, Washington, DC 20017-1554
littlesistersofthepoorwashingtondc.org
or
Capital Caring, 900 Telestar Court, Falls Church, Virginia 22042
capitacaring.org
Hours of Visitation: Tuesday, April 16, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Funeral Mass: Wednesday, April 17, 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel, 8601 Wolftrap Rd SE, Vienna, VA 22182
Interment: St. Mary's Cemetery, Alexandria, VA
Mary is survived by her children Stephanie (Gabe), Jack (Pam), Marie, Mike (Rita), Patty (Luther), Sue, Regina (Scott), Mary (Bob), Teresa (Mauro), and Sheila (Reiner), 25 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 52 years, John P. Flynn; parents, Hannah and Joseph Mangan; sisters Stephanie Hogan and Mercedes Mangan; brother Rev. Patrick Mangan; and grandson Timothy Flynn Sr.
Mary was born on February 9, 1924 in Cork, Ireland. With her family, she arrived in New York City at the age of two and was raised in Brooklyn and Queens. She moved to the DC area with her husband John in 1947 where they raised their ten children and called home for the remainder of her life. Mary was incredibly proud of her Irish heritage and New York roots.
Her Catholic faith, especially in the Blessed Mother, was of utmost importance to her. Mary was a member of the Our Lady of Good Counsel parish since it was founded in 1957. She loved to serve the parish, particularly as a member of the Altar and Rosary Society.
Mary loved gardening, water aerobics, and all things Irish. If Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” was playing, she was on the dance floor. She was the ultimate Scrabble champion and enjoyed challenging loved ones near and far to competitive games of Words with Friends. No one made a better Irish Soda Bread. She loved keeping up with the adventures of her family and friends over Facebook and at 95-years-old could navigate an iPad with the best of them.
Her house was home to countless family gatherings, backyard kickball games, and big Sunday dinners. Many stories were shared at her kitchen table over her famous tuna sandwiches and cups of tea. She loved reminiscing about her life with her beloved husband John and telling her grandkids the story of their courtship. Of all the inventions she saw in her lifetime, she said owning a dryer beat the television, internet, and cell phone as the biggest game changer after raising ten kids in cloth diapers.
Everyone who stepped through her door was treated like family. In fact, she was so good at making everyone feel loved that each of her grandkids will tell you with conviction that they were Nanny’s favorite. She lived for family events and milestones, celebrating countless birthdays, baptisms, graduations, weddings, and births.
Mary dedicated her life to her faith and family. Her kindness, warmth, and patience were unmatched. Her family and friends will miss her unmistakable, infectious laugh. She leaves behind an incredible legacy and will be missed beyond measure.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in her name to:
Little Sisters of the Poor, Jeanne Jugan Residence, 4200 Harewood Road, NE, Washington, DC 20017-1554
littlesistersofthepoorwashingtondc.org
or
Capital Caring, 900 Telestar Court, Falls Church, Virginia 22042
capitacaring.org
Hours of Visitation: Tuesday, April 16, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Funeral Mass: Wednesday, April 17, 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel, 8601 Wolftrap Rd SE, Vienna, VA 22182
Interment: St. Mary's Cemetery, Alexandria, VA
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Mike and family, So sorry for your loss. Praying you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead and loving memories to forever hold in your heart. Connie Gibson, W3 Center.
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